Great Britain take on Canada in their third and final group stage fixture on Tuesday, already through to the knockout phase but now trying to secure top spot.
Six points taken so far, courtesy of a two-goal victory over Chile and a late win over hosts Japan, leave Team GB able to rotate the squad for this fixture if head coach Hege Riise wants to, though in theory a first-place finish in the group should yield a better fixture in the quarter-finals. If Great Britain finish top, they will play third place from either Group F or G - China PR or Australia at the start of play on the final round of games - while a second-place finish sees them play F’s runners-up, likely Brazil or Netherlands.
Canada still need a point to guarantee their own progression, though with the two best third-place sides also going through, they look in a strong position to reach the last eight regardless.
Follow live updates of Canada vs Great Britain at Tokyo 2020, as well as major updates from other events below:
Caroline Weir secured the draw which earned Team GB top spot in the women’s football Group E - seven points, no defeats and just one goal conceded in their three group games.
The full last-eight draw at the Olympics is as follows:
Canada 1-1 Great Britain: Adriana Leon’s opener looked to have earned Canada top spot before Weir, who had already hit the bar and post, struck
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 14:41
Taiwan and Canada take gold medals in women’s weightlifting events
Taiwan’s Kuo Hsing-Chun won the gold medal in the women’s 59kg weightlifting event at the Olympics on Tuesday as Canada’s Maude Charron secured victory in the women’s 64kg category.
Kuo, who broke three Olympic records but fell short of her own world record, dropped to the floor with a bitter smile after failing at a lift of 141 kg in the clean and jerk to beat her best of 140 kg.
“I was competing against myself, and I wanted to break the world record,” Kuo told reporters.
“I am very happy that I put all the pieces together now, adding in the Olympic gold medal today,” she said.
Charron put her two hands on her mouth in joy and embraced her team mate after she succeeded in lifting 131 kg in the clean and jerk.
“The gym in Quebec was closed due to the pandemic and I carried all my stuff, my bars, my plates to my dad’s garage and I trained there for the whole year,” she told reporters.
Italy’s Giorgia Bordignon took the silver medal and Taiwan’s Chen Wen-Huei the bronze.
In the 59 kg event, Polina Guryeva won silver, Turkmenistan’s first medal at the Tokyo Games, and Japan’s Mikiko Andoh earned Japan’s first weightlifting medal at the Tokyo Games by claiming bronze.
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 14:44
Olympic gold medalist Tom Dean admits doubts during Covid battles
Tom Dean admitted the prospect of his Olympic gold appeared a “million miles off” when he was laid low by Covid-19 at the start of the year, the second time he had tested positive in a matter of months.
Dean produced the performance of his life in the men’s 200 metres freestyle, clocking a British record time of one minute and 44.22 seconds to pip Tokyo 2020 flatmate Duncan Scott by the wafer-thin margin of 0.04secs.
A historic one-two finish marks the only time since the 1908 London Games that two British male swimmers have been on the podium together while Dean is the first man from the nation in 113 years to win an individual freestyle event.
While Adam Peaty’s path to the men’s 100 metres breaststroke glory on Monday seemed inevitable, Dean’s achievement 24 hours later was more surprising and not only because Scott had been the fastest qualifier in the semi-finals.
He had mild symptoms in his first encounter with coronavirus last September before a more serious bout in January. It was not life threatening but there were moments where Dean wondered whether he would make the plane to Japan.
“I had six or seven weeks out during an Olympic year which is essentially unheard of,” said the 21-year-old, who will be eyeing a second medal in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final on Thursday morning.
“Two or three months out from our Olympic trials, I’m stuck inside, unable to even exercise inside my own flat. It was tough to wrap my head around that.
“When I was sitting in my flat in isolation, Olympic gold seemed like a million miles off. But here we are. This is the single greatest achievement in my life. It’s a dream come true to wear Olympic gold around my neck.”
Dean admitted he had some “pretty frank conversations” with his handlers at the University of Bath, where he is studying mechanical engineering, and credited coach David McNulty for lifting him from the doldrums.
“I think I was one of the first athletes in any British Olympic sport to contract Covid twice in such a short space of time, so there were quite a few question marks around it.
“I’m thinking ‘how am I going to be able to recover from this in time to get a solid block of work under my belt before we start tapering for Olympic trials?’
“I had to post some pretty quick times in the 200 free because of how stacked it is within Great Britain. There were a few question marks around but my coach kept me grounded and just built me slowly back up to where I am now.”
(AFP via Getty Images)
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 14:52
Murray keen to secure another Olympic medal
Andy Murray is hoping to be part of Britain’s gold rush at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Scot, already a two-time champion in singles, is targeting success in doubles with Joe Salisbury and the pair moved through to the quarter-finals with a 6-2 7-6 (2) victory over German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.
Murray has been enjoying watching the British medals rolling in across other sports, saying: “It was a really good day yesterday. Obviously nice to see Tom Daley winning and Adam Peaty another amazing performance from him. It’s been great, hopefully we can be part of that.”
Scot inspired by Team GB golds as he reaches quarter finals of men’s doubles
Dylan Terry27 July 2021 15:20
As uncertainty surrounds Simone Biles, Russia takes the US’s gymnastics crown at Tokyo 2020
The Russian Olympic Committee has finally ended America’s dominance. On Tuesday night, in the women’s team gymnastics event that the United States had won at every Olympics and World Championship since 2010, a surprise victory was secured with a score of 169.528 to 166.096.
And yet, while the story is of a grip loosened and a powerhouse topped, the headline came early in this battle when four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles withdrew after the first rotation. A botched vault saw her take leave and return later. But by then, the Russians had established the lead and the US, without their totem, could only dig so deep.
Biles withdrew after the first rotation in Tokyo due to a ‘medical issue’ as the ROC finally ended the US’s stranglehold over the team event
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 15:23
Japan shuts down USA to win softball gold medal
Hosts Japan hoisted their coach and waved to mostly empty stands to celebrate their second straight gold medal in softball on Tuesday by beating the United States 2-0 at the Tokyo Games, on the strength of Yamato Fujita’s bat, ace Yukiko Ueno’s arm and their usual all-around sharp defensive play.
The result left the United States with the silver medal, a repeat of 13 years earlier, when Japan stunned them in the most recent prior edition of Olympic softball. Canada earlier took bronze by defeating Mexico 3-2.
After Japan’s tearful coach Reika Utsugi hugged her U.S. counterpart Ken Eriksen for a minute, the winning team laid her on their shoulders and hoisted her into the air several times.
Foiling the United States the same as she did in 2008, Ueno allowed just two hits over five innings. The 39-year-old exited the game to a standing ovation from Canada and last-place Italy, both of whom watched on from the cavernous stadium’s top rows. Ueno returned in relief to throw the final three outs.
Fujita, who smiled and broke into English to say “maybe” when asked days ago whether she has Japan’s best swing, can now declare yes.
She had two hits and a hand in both runs, scoring the first after a chopper off the plate that a U.S. infielder struggled to scoop and driving in the other by reaching for a ball off the plate and smashing it to right field.
Canada took bronze, beating Mexico earlier in the day.
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 15:30
Riise talks up Team GB’s character after securing draw with Canada
Hege Riise praised Team GB’s powers of recovery after they booked an Olympic quarter-final with Australia
Caroline Weir’s deflected leveller earned the Brits a 1-1 draw with Canada which was enough to top Group E.
Adriana Leon’s second-half opener looked to have snatched victory for Canada before Weir, who had already hit the bar and post, struck late on in Kashima.
It meant Team GB won Group E with seven points and remained in Kashima to face Australia on Friday.
Team GB will face Australia after topping Group E at the Olympics.
Dylan Terry27 July 2021 15:43
Team GB praised by coach after securing quarter-final berth in women’s football
Hege Riise praised Team GB’s powers of recovery after they booked an Olympic quarter-final with Australia.
Caroline Weir’s deflected leveller earned the Brits a 1-1 draw with Canada which was enough to top Group E.
Adriana Leon’s second-half opener looked to have snatched victory for Canada before Weir, who had already hit the bar and post, struck late on in Kashima.
It meant Team GB won Group E with seven points and remained in Kashima to face Australia on Friday.
Riise said: “I believe strongly in this team, a great team always finds a way to come back and we did. Closer to the finish we started to get some momentum, luckily we were good enough to get the goal.
“It was an important goal (from Weir), we top the group, we’re staying here and have a little bit more rest so we are happy.
“There are always things you want to improve on, we have played three games against three good opponents and have performed better and better. We haven’t been together that long so we’ll improve every game.
“Overall we looked strong and confident and that will be important going forward.”
(Getty Images)
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 15:45
Tokyo 2020: Hosts knocked out of men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball
Japan have been beaten by France in the quarter-finals of the women’s 3x3 basketball event, 16-14 the final score of a closely-fought affair. China also beat Italy to reach the last four. USA and the Russian Olympic Committee had already qualified for the semis.
In the men’s event, ROC saw off Netherlands eventually and Latvia beat Japan, to join Serbia and Belgium in the last four.
The semis and the medal games will take place on Wednesday.
Karl Matchett27 July 2021 15:58
Bianca Walkden ‘dead inside’ after failing to take gold
“Obviously I’m glad I came away with an Olympic medal, but it’s not the colour I trained for. I did not want to come out at all [for the repechage] but I wanted to stand there with my head held high. I feel a little bit dead inside but I would never haven given it away, I fought to the end even though it’s killing me inside. Tonight I can cry, I can let it all out, but I had to still be professional.”
Brutal words from the bronze medallist Bianca Walkden on how hard she had worked and what she really wanted.
Bianca Walkden was winning her semi-final with one second to go but it was the tale of Team GB’s time in the taekwondo arena that an Olympic medal changed colour in her grasp
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